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Show Mafter John Cottons .A11{wer riuus falfhood : and but that I know the Devill is able to create fl.mder of nothing, (as God is able to create truths of nothing ) I lhould thinke it incredible, that any man who hath been inN.,. England lhould be able to fay, (as the Examiner here doth) that we perfecute the P arifhet in New-England, and ) 'et frequent the P arijbu in Old England. F1ftl y, The fife particular which he thinks I have not duely confidered i•, That in the Parifhet ( whicb M•. Cotton holderh but in• tmztiom of men) how ever they would have liberty to frequent the worjhip of the Word,yet they [eparatefrom the Sacrament!: And yet (according to }ur orv" Principlet) there i1"' true Communion in the minij!ration •f the Word, "' in the Sealu. What myjlery(faith he )fhould be in thH, but that hue, (to wit, in Old England) the Cro.ffe of Chrij! may be avoyded, if perfrmt come to Cburch 1 RepiJ. 1. It is an untruth, that M'. Cotton holdeth the Parifhe1 to be but inventions of men ; for though I hold,that the receiving of all th< lnh•bi tants in the Parifh, into the full fellowfhi p of the Churc ~, a"d the admnting of them all unto the liberty of all the O, dmances, is an humane corruption, ( and fo if he will, an hu· mane invention;) yet I doe not hold, nor ever did, that their Pa· rilhes were on ely an humane invention. For I beleeve, the Lord Jefus h~th the trmh of his Churches, and Miniflery, and worlhip in them, notwithflanding the invention~ of men fuperadded to them. · ·RepiJ. 2. Though I doe beleeve, there ira< true C11mm:~nion in the miniftration of the Word iu a Church-eft ate (to wit, tn fucb "'are in Church-eft ate) "'ith the Minifterofthe Word,., i" the Sealu. Yet it ts (arre from me w hold, and from any pdnciple of mine to in· ferre, that there IS as true Communion in the miniflration of the Wo~d to evetY_ hearer, as in the Seales; for then we might as eafily· admit our !Rd•ant to the Scales,as we doe admit them daily to the mini!lration of the Word. _ R'P!J· 3 . It is a malignant and S•tanicall mifconflrutl:ion of the in~e.nnons of fuch godly perfom, who (out of fincere alfeltion to fplrttuall growth ) dor he are the Mini!lry of the Word·from godly Preachers in Engl•nd, to accufc them before God , and Angels, ond me~, that th_ey doe it to avoyd the Croff., of Chrifl, (to wir, perfecunon) whtch may be avoyded in a great meafure, if perfons come to Church. It to Mafter Roger Williams. - It is well knowne, th at fundry of them are fo fincere and conftant in their profe!lion, that as they hav_e fuf!'ered much for ~he caufe ofChrifl againfl humane corruptiOns m Gods worlh tp : fo they would b~ reaoy to fuffer yet more, for ne?letting t? c_ome to Church, if cbey fufpetl:ed any humane corrup~10n at all m a. Againe, It is well kn~wne, t_hat any !hanger 1n London, (by re· moving now and then hts lodgmg) ~'"Y efcape not onely perfecution, bm obfervation, for a longer ume, then a_ny of ~ur heare~s are ordinarily wont to fojourne t~ere: B~fides,_m thts um~of ~mverfall freedom• from all perfecuuon du11ng thts long Par.tam.m, h doe not our members of thefe Churches forbeare tO heare ~/Word in the PariO ,es now, when there is n~ feare nor danger at all of perfecution, fo r not coming to C:hur~h - , His fixe and laO: pu ticular confiderauon IS, 'fb•t how ever M. Cotton Jairh, He hath not found fuch prefence. of Chrifl _and evidence of the Spirit i11 fucb( fep•rate). Churchet, "' tn· the Parijhet : !f'hat Jhould be the rea{on of t heir gre~t rejoycingt and boajlzngt ofthm_ own feparatiom in New-England, tn fo much, that {orne oft he mojl emmenl amongfl them have affirmed , that even the Apujllet ~hurchu were not fo ptm?Swely if the [•me "'"' Engl1lh Ch~trchet were 1~ Old England, they could not m<ete in Old England witboNt ~:rflcutwn: wh<Ch there· f ore in Old Euj>.lancl tbey av'!)de , by freqmntmg the way •f Cb,.rcb· worfhip ;, the P .-rifl-et, wh~eh tn New-England tb'! prrfccu:•· . R•piy. t. T he ExJrn iner might ~a~ly have famlicd htmli:lfe. Ill this con!iJeratic'n,ifhe had been wtlhng to underfl.nd that whtch he knoweth to be our meaning. He knower~ very well , and hath often told us of it befure, that we our felve~ In our ~hurches doc pratti le {orne kindeoffeparation here,co w11, feparallon,not from the Church es in Old England,a sno C hurches, but from fomec Jrruptions found in them. In fuch Churche' as fo fiparat e, wee ne· ver fpeake of them, that we had not found the prefence o t C h1 i ~, or evidence of che Spi1 it in fuch Churches. But I fp .. ke of li1ch r!· gid Scparatifls Chwches, a5 renounce the ~hu rches, aud lVI<nt- 1\ery,and worfhip, and S• ints of Eugland, as 1f they we re a !I falfe, or none at all, and therefore utterly dve refufe t? hcare the w~rd in their Affi,lllblies,which is fuch a way of feparauon,as 1-told lum in my Lener,the Lord 'Jefur never deli~ered, n~r an~ of btJ Apoft la afler him >Jor any of his. Propbett before hun. Ot whtch he taketh. no ' · nonce, |